Rather than having consecutive numbers, as most cons do, the name "ConFusion" has a different descriptor each year. It started, deliberately with number 13. (The "Fusion" in ConFusion refers to KMS Fusion, a firm in Ann Arbor that at the time was one of the world leaders in fusion research.)

During the 1970s and '80s, the con was nicknamed Fondlecon, for members' public displays of mass affection; for a few years, it also featured a blanket-bearing Cuddle Squad to warm up chilly congoers in unheated hallways; and the concom facilitated skinny-dipping in its hotel pool. ConFusion was one of the cons where a fan-filled bed collapsed. ConFusion goers (and a disapproving hotel) also learned what happens to a Jacuzzi used by fans smeared with chocolate mousse.